Unraveling Infertility: The Natural Ways to Conception – by Dr Paul’s Clinic in Bangladesh
Infertility especially when linked to Polycystic Ovary Syndrome PCOS can feel like quite a complex and daunting journey. Meanwhile, fertility recovery is often achievable as well especially if the root causes of PCOS are treated using a more holistic approach. So here we’re going to discuss how PCOS causes infertility, what the ways are through which it happens and how clinics like Dr Paul’s Bangladesh, provide natural and lifestyle-based treatment processes to aid recovery from infertility.
What exactly is PCOS and how does it affect fertility?
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most frequent endocrine-metabolic disorder in women of reproductive age. As per World Health Organization (WHO) PCOS is the “most common cause of anovulation and is responsible for ovulatory infertility”. The typical manifestations of PCOS are: irregular or absent menstrual cycle, hyperandrogenism (male-hormone excess), polycystic features on ultrasound (polycystic ovary morphology) and often features of insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome.
For fertility, PCOS is significant because regular ovulation is critical for a woman to conceive naturally. Ovulation is impaired or absent, reducing the likelihood of becoming pregnant.
The primary source of infertility: anovulation and PCOS
One of the ways that PCOS causes infertility is anovulation (or oligo-ovulation) no egg (or a very erratic release of egg) from the ovaries. 2 Ovulation is not easy to happen for a very long time in PCOS women that are directly related to difficulty of conception.
Based on a review: “Up to 7% of women have PCOS infertility is the most common symptom with prevalence between 55 and 85%. Ovulatory dysfunction affects around 25% of couples presenting for fertility care, with [PCOS] responsible for approximately two-thirds (app. 70%) of these cases.” So for many women with PCOS, the primary fertility issue is that the monthly cycle doesn’t produce a mature egg to fertilize.
Hormonal Factors in PCOS that Hinder Conception
Several hormonal pathways are disturbed in PCOS, which eventually culminates into infertility:
High androgens (male-type hormones) — Too much of these may inhibit normal follicle development and ovulation.
Gonadotropin alteration (LH/FSH ratio) — the proportion of luteinizing hormone (LH) to follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), can be disturbed in PCOS leading to disrupted follicular maturation.
Excessive amounts of AMH produced by all the tiny follicles – this can block progression and ovulation of larger, healthy follicles in PCOS.
Disrupteds insulin and androgen interaction (refer next section) — insulin resistance raises the levels of androgens, inhibiting ovulation.
These hormonal disorders form a “vicious circle of androgen excess → follicle arrest → anovulation → infertility.
And, see Metabolic issues (insulin resistance etc) and infertility Also: What is Insulin Resistance!
Living in the shadow of PCOS as a major cause of infertility is metabolic dysfunction – particularly that involving insulin and hyperinsulinemia (high levels of insulin). The structure might follow this chain:
It causes insulin resistance in many women with PCOS (regardless of whether or not they are visibly obese).
Insulin raises ovarian androgen production and reduces hepatic sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), resulting in higher free androgens.
The increased androgenic and insulin environment further impairs folliculogenesis and ovulation.
Moreover, metabolic disorders such as obesity, dyslipidemia and type 2 diabetes threaten fertility and overall reproductive health.
Therefore, it is important to treat insulin resistance when considering infertility related to PCOS.
Weight, body composition and lifestyle in polycystic ovary syndrome.
And, when it comes to PCOS fertility outcomes, lifestyle factors — including body weight, diet, exercise and stress — have an enormous impact:
Research indicates that even for women who have PCOS and are overweight, achieving moderate weight loss can improve menstrual cycles and fertility results.
Regular physical activity and diet modifications assist in increasing insulin sensitivity and reducing androgen concentrations which induce ovulation.
Lifestyle changes are a cornerstone of natural treatment, particularly in countries such as Bangladesh where lifestyle shifts (lack-of-physical exercise, dietary habits) are rampant.
Therefore, for a woman with PCOS who desires to get pregnant one of the earliest interventions is that she be empowered to enhance body composition, food and movement.
Factors related to the inability of women to conceive with PCOS-ST The association of PA, reduced IGI and infertility being associated.
Outside the strictly physical and hormonal aspects, emotional and lifestyle factors also affect fertility in PCOS:
High levels of stress and bad night rest mess up your hormones (e.g. cortisol interferring with reproduction hormones).
Psychological disturbances, including anxiety, depression and body image distress, are present in a majority of patients with PCOS and may indirectly modulate fertility-related lifestyle (diet, exercise) and therapeutic compliance.
Environmental and lifestyle exposures (e.g., endocrine-disrupting chemicals, inadequate sleep, inflammation) have additional potential to exacerbate hormone imbalance.
By addressing the “whole person”—medical, emotional and environmental—chances of reinstating ovulation and fertility increase.
Natural and integrative approaches to PCOS and fertility.
When women with PCOS and infertility desire natural or integrative treatments (or to complement conventional support) relevant interventions often include:
Optimize Lifestyle: A balanced whole food diet low in processed foods and refined sugar; moderate daily exercise; quality sleep hygiene; weight management.
Insulin-sensitising treatment: Diet movement and sometimes complementary supplement.
Support for hormonal balance: Via botanicals, homeopathy or naturopathic modalities, as part of an individualized plan (under the supervision of a professional).
Stress management and mind-body support: Yoga, meditation, counselling, better sleep – all good for hormone balance and fertility-readiness.
Fertility timing and Ovulation Restoration: Schedule intercourse or look into fertility monitoring when ovulation has returned to maximize your chances of conception.
The NICHD (U.S.) also say that lifestyle changes can help bring about body changes, leading to natural conception in women with PCOS.
How Dr Paul’s Bangladesh Clinic helps to conceive naturally with PCOS fertility.
On the ground in Dhaka, Bangladesh is Dr Paul’s Bangladesh Clinic, a local clinic that provides women’s-health services with an emphasis on natural, non-invasive care for PCOS and fertility.
Offers individualized care for PCOS using a combination of lifestyle advice, natural / homoeopathic remedies, hormone balance programmers and fertility supportive treatments.
Their women’s-health portfolio in Australia mentions: “PCOS: Rebalance hormones and treat PCOS symptoms with customized homeopathic treatments.”
They promote a system of safe, natural, non-surgical care that is designed to restore hormonal balance and support fertility for women with PCOS.
In reality, a woman coming to this clinic would likely have a thorough evaluation of her hormones, her lifestyle elements (diet, exercise, sleep and perhaps stress), body-composition; possibly suggestive natural/homeopathic treatment. She would then be guided into a programmed to achieve ovulation restoration, metabolic health improvement and androgen excess reduction, together with fertility potential enhancement.
For Bangladesh women who have little access to high technology-intensive fertility care, and for whom gotcha medicine is out of reach, a natural/holistic approach like this could be something that seems much more achievable. It doesn’t necessarily mean they can’t be later referred for assisted fertility treatments, however it serves as a way of turning into making one fertile.